Poll: Military Support for Bush

**Roguish Lawyer** · 01-02-2006, 18:17

Polls are just snapshots in time, but I found this interesting:

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/0....if0cb0yj.html

Support for Bush drops among US military: poll
Jan 02 6:43 PM US/Eastern

Support for President George W. Bush's Iraq policy has fallen among the US armed forces to just 54 percent from 63 percent a year ago, according to a poll by the magazine group Military Times.

In its annual survey of the views of military personnel, the group reported on its website that support for Bush's overall policies dropped over the past year to 60 percent from 71 percent.

While still significantly more supportive of the president than the broad US population, the fall in support by military personnel tracks a similar decline in the president's popularity among the general public.

"Though support both for President Bush and for the war in Iraq remains significantly higher than in the public as a whole, the drop is likely to add further fuel to the heated debate over Iraq policy," Military Times said.

"In 2003 and 2004, supporters of the war in Iraq pointed to high approval ratings in the Military Times poll as a signal that military members were behind ... the president's policy."

However, it said, the new poll "found diminished optimism that US goals in Iraq can be accomplished, and a somewhat smaller drop in support for the decision to go to war in 2003."

Military Times, which publishes popular magazines for each of the US military branches including Army Times and Navy Times, cautioned that its poll, of 1,215 active-duty servicemen, is not necessarily representative of the military as a whole.

The respondents were "on average older, more experienced, more likely to be officers and more career-oriented than the military population."

But the declining numbers for Bush tracked other polls. According to the CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll, support for Bush's performance as president fell from 49 percent to 43 percent over the year to December 22.

The Military Times poll also showed a significant decline in the armed forces' views of US military policy and management.

With 61 percent of respondents saying they had served in Iraq or Afghanistan, only 58 percent believed that Bush had the military's best interests at heart, a sharp decline from 69 percent a year before.

Only 56 percent felt the US should have gone to war in Iraq, compared to 60 percent a year before.

And 64 percent felt the same about the Pentagon leadership, compared to 70 percent a year ago.

Addressing key issues facing the Pentagon, the poll showed that almost two-thirds of the soldiers felt the US military is "stretched too thin to be effective", but the number was less than a year ago.

At the same time, there was a fall in resistance to restoring the draft in the United States. Opposition fell from 75 percent a year ago to 68 percent this year.

**The Reaper** · 01-02-2006, 18:31

Spin.

You pick the start point that you wish, and the end point, you can make the numbers show anything you want. For example, they state that approval ratings are down from a year ago, but in reality, they are up over the past few months.

They may have also included more Guard members, support troops, etc. Who knows what their methodology was.

The only thing clear to me is that the media have pounded him at every opportunity, and spun negative stories about him while blatantly ignoring good news, and he is still in the fight.

Has he done everything I would have liked? No. Has he exceeded my expectations of AlGore or John Kerry? You betcha.

TR

Doc · 01-02-2006, 20:18

I'm kinda surprised RL would post this type of article in here.

Everyone's entitled to their own thoughts.

Doc

**Roguish Lawyer** · 01-02-2006, 20:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doc

I'm kinda surprised RL would post this type of article in here.

Everyone's entitled to their own thoughts.

Doc

Not sure why, but my apologies if you think I was wrong to do it. I did not know that the Military Times was a typical media outlet, and thought the numbers were interesting from a political standpoint. I agree with TR's point about numbers.

**Eagle5US** · 01-02-2006, 21:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roguish Lawyer

Not sure why, but my apologies if you think I was wrong to do it. I did not know that the Military Times was a typical media outlet, and thought the numbers were interesting from a political standpoint. I agree with TR's point about numbers.

I do not believe it is a point of right or wrong about it being posted...as much as it would seem to be "out of character" as someone who read less of your posts may infer that you were in agreement with the article.

I also agree with TR regarding both the timing and "poll population" potential. It could have just as easily read:

" Of the 100,000 recipients of the Combat Infantryman's Badge, who would represent the population of the military most actively engaged in closing with and killing the enemy, the support for the current administration continues to soar head and shoulders above the general population."

But that wouldn't make for as good a "story" now would it

Eagle

**Airbornelawyer** · 01-03-2006, 12:08

Quote:

Only 56 percent felt the US should have gone to war in Iraq, compared to 60 percent a year before.

And 64 percent felt the same about the Pentagon leadership, compared to 70 percent a year ago.

64% felt the Pentagon leadership should have gone to war in Iraq?

Spin aside, that is a poorly written article.

**Roguish Lawyer** · 01-03-2006, 12:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eagle5US

I do not believe it is a point of right or wrong about it being posted...as much as it would seem to be "out of character" as someone who read less of your posts may infer that you were in agreement with the article.

I post lots of articles I don't necessarily agree with solely to stimulate discussion.

I changed the title of the thread . . .

Bob1984 · 01-03-2006, 12:17

I have several friends who are either currently or have been deployed to Afghanistan and/or Iraq. They all agree with our mission and refute the claims made by the media. Hearing it from people who are or have been there is good enough for me. Maybe if the media would actually stop with their agenda and pay attention to what guys on the ground are saying, their information would be more accurate. If our forces were taking heavy losses and basically being beaten up on like the media claims, I would want to be the first to know about it. So far, though, this doesn't seem to be the case according to the soldiers who are actually there.

rubberneck · 01-03-2006, 12:20

I'd love to see the raw data from this poll. I would also like to see what methodology they used when drawing their sample size. I have a very hard time believing this poll unless the sample consisted mostly of NG units.

dennisw · 01-03-2006, 12:49

I don't know about the sampling methodology used by the folks referenced in the article above, but I agree with TR about tweaking the data to make the results reflect a particular point of view. With that aside, when I was recently at Fort Bragg for my son's graduation, I stayed the first night at the Airborne Inn on base. I had the pleasure of eating breakfast with Son #1 at the 82nd mess hall. While I was waiting for him to pick me up and was standing out in front of the Hotel, I notice a young soldier in desert camo who was limping and using one crutch as support. I struck up a conversation and found out he has been wounded in Iraq.

I believe that was the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, the 22nd of November. He told me he was wounded when a IED exploded near his Humvee and a large piece of shrapnel had ripped through his shin. Unfortunately, his best friend was killed in the incident. I ask him when this had happened, and he said I believe November 4th. I was floored. He had already been to surgery and was doing his rehab.

He mentioned he was on his way home to Indiana or Illinois and was a little nervous because they were going to have a big reception for him. He knew the local press was going to be there and he did not want to talk about his friend getting killed.

I asked him what he was going to do once his rehab was over and he said go back to Iraq. Wanted to get back to his unit and his friends. I was floored a second time. Said they were doing a lot of good things there, and couldn't wait to get back.

Now I know a sample of one is not a valid sample, but I was in awe. In awe of our medical staff caring for these brave lads, and the attitude of this soldier and the others like him. I don't know if the above poll is correct, but I have a feeling that most of the folks serving over there probably share a lot in common with this young man I had the privilege to meet.

I personally get frustrated watching the news and listening to the liberal pundits speak in a negative manner about Bush and the war. Meeting this young man made it clear again why I'm glad I'm an American.

Less I forget, thanks for all of you who have served and who are currently serving our country. To the critics and liberal pundits: Go f yourself.

CPTAUSRET · 01-03-2006, 13:16

I have never served in any fucking unit where someone wasn't bitching, bitching about food, supply, mail, living conditions, being in VN, Cambodia, Laos, etc, etc...

Snapshot in time explains it pretty well.

Terry

longrange1947 · 01-03-2006, 16:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by CPTAUSRET

I have never served in any fucking unit where someone wasn't bitching, bitching about food, supply, mail, living conditions, being in VN, Cambodia, Laos, etc, etc...

Snapshot in time explains it pretty well.

Terry

Terry, wasn't it when they stopped bitching that things were bad?

Huey14 · 01-03-2006, 17:21

The poll is irrelevant because, in my opinion, it's not a soldier's concern whether he agrees with the mission or not, it's his job to do it regardless.

18Ddave · 01-03-2006, 18:23

As my Statisics professor used to say: "There are lies, damn lies and statistics!"
dave

18Ddave · 01-03-2006, 18:28

Oh one more thing I forgot to mention; as much as the military wants everbody to be a 'warrior' now and not to take anything away from those who serve ...the reality is there are soldiers and then there are real warriors. With that said, I bet a 'warriors' poll would be well over 90%.
dave